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US automobile safety regulators have started an probe into Tesla vehicles featuring the full self-driving technology due to safety regulation breaches following numerous accidents.

Regulatory Body Identifies Traffic Law Breaches

The NHTSA announced that the electric carmaker's autonomous driving feature, which demands drivers to remain attentive and take control when necessary, had caused car behavior that breached traffic safety laws”.

This preliminary evaluation by the NHTSA represents the first step before potentially requesting a withdrawal of the vehicles if the authority concludes they present a danger to road safety.

Alarming Case Findings

The agency reported it had documented reports of nearly 3 million Tesla cars running red traffic lights and traveling against the wrong way during lane switching while using the technology.

NHTSA confirmed it has six documented cases in which a Tesla car, using FSD activated, “came to an junction with a red traffic signal, continued to drive into the intersection against the red signal and was later involved in a collision with other cars in the junction”.

The authority reported that four crashes had caused one or more injuries.

Further Safety Concerns

The NHTSA announced it has identified 18 complaints and one news account claiming that Tesla vehicles, driving through an junction with FSD active, did not stay stationary for the duration of a red light, did not come to complete stop, or did not properly recognize and display the correct light status in the vehicle interface”.

Several reporters also claimed that FSD “failed to give warnings of the system's planned actions as the vehicle was approaching a red light”.

Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny

The full self-driving system, which is more advanced than its basic autopilot feature, has been being examined by NHTSA for a year.

In October 2024, the authority began an inquiry into 2.4 million Tesla cars using FSD after four reported collisions in conditions of reduced visibility, such as sun glare, fog or dust clouds. One such accident, in 2023, was fatal.

Company's Stated Position

The company's official position indicates that FSD is “intended for use with a fully attentive motorist, who has their hands on the steering wheel and is ready to take over at any moment. While these capabilities are designed to improve over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle self-driving.”

Automated car systems continue to face increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies as the systems develop and practical implementation reveals possible issues with existing deployments.